Editor lunch ala Steve Jobs

I eat the same take-out lunch every weekday when I’m editing. Come lunch hour, I pick up the phone and order what everyone at Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grill knows as The Usual: a half-sized Power Plate with chicken and a double serving of grilled vegetables.

Oh, Power Plate. How I love thee.

Some folks say, “Jeff, how on earth can you stand to eat the same food every day?” Easy – it keeps me mentally sharp. It’s protein and veggies with almost no processed carbohydrates… which means that nasty mid-afternoon crash that happens all the time to everyone else doesn’t happen to me.

At least not anymore… eat tortilla chips with that Power Plate, and it’s a different story – 2:30 rolls around, and I’m about to fall off my chair in the bay from sleepiness.

But eating the same lunch every day is about more than avoiding the Afternoon Carb Crash – and here’s where Steve Jobs jumps into the picture, more on him in a bit – it’s about preserving my mental willpower and the ability to focus on the thousands of decisions I make every day as a professional editor.

Research from Columbia University (expertly discussed in this post by James Clear) confirms something we can all observe in ourselves – did you know that our ability to focus and make decisions is not an innate character trait? It’s actually a lot more like the the battery in your cell phone – you start the day with a full charge. You use it during the day, maybe even getting a quick recharge. But depending on how much you use your phone, by the end of the day you’re done.

Go home, sleep, recharge… it happens over and over.

We editors – who make literally thousands of choices every day doing what we do – must protect our limited mental energy for the choices that actually matter.

(It’s not just editors, by the way – that same research from Columbia University talks about the effects of eating schedules on the rulings of parole judges. It’s a little nuts.)

In light of all the daily choices and life elements I’m juggling, the last thing I want to do is waste my mental energy on meaningless choices or distractions… like what should I do for lunch? What should I order?

It’s just like Steve Jobs and his uniform of blue jeans and black turtleneck. He was running Apple, for crying out loud. He didn’t want to lose his focus by even something as simple as choosing what to wear. So he stuck with what worked and turned his considerable attention to the stuff that really mattered.

So in editing, what is it that “really matters”?

Well, that would be a whole bunch of things. Worse, it’s a whole bunch of things that rarely gets talked about in detail outside of the occasional class in film school, and often not even there.

And tutorial videos are rarely any help either… everyone on the face of the planet will throw up a tutorial on “how to push the buttons on your software”, but very few will talk about the real meat of editing.

Introducing “Edit Better: Hollywood-Tested Strategies for Powerful Video Editing,” the latest book from author and Hollywood TV editor Jeff Bartsch. If you consider yourself an advanced hobbyist or growth-minded pro, you need this book. If don’t love it for any reason whatsoever, we’ll refund you double what you paid.

Imagine pushing a magic button in your video editing software labeled “BETTER.” Any project you edit turns out exactly how you planned, every single time. Your audience is absolutely spellbound, wiping tears from their eyes, laughing out loud, or sitting in stunned silence as they see the world in a different way for the first time.

Bad news: that button doesn’t exist. Good news: EDIT BETTER shows you how to get there anyway...

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.

Praise for EDIT BETTER and Jeff Bartsch

Jeff is the real deal, and so is his take on the process. Even though the process can take years to grasp, let alone master, Jeff breaks it down in the most accessible fashion. Pay attention and you will not just learn how to edit better, but how to edit best.- Tom Costantino, Editor, Los Angeles, CA (credits include CSI: Miami, Survivor, and Mysteries of Laura, a new scripted drama starring Debra Messing)

Simply outstanding! A very easy read, clearly a professional's POV, and here's one of many things I love about it: even though I'd say I knew or practiced about 90% of what you've written, man, the 10% I didn't know or hadn't thought of the way you've presented it is unbelievably helpful. Anybody, from seasoned pro to newbie is going to find it very helpful. I'd even go so far as to describe it as essential reading for the 21st century editor. Please quote me on that. Lovin’ it, dude, you’re a badass!– Harold Houze Jr., Editor, Los Angeles, CA/New York, NY (credits on CBS, FOX, ESPN, MTV, many others)

Jeff is one of the most talented and trusted editors I have ever worked with. I think anyone considering the opportunity to learn from Jeff should leap at the chance.– Frank Sinton, Executive Producer/COO A. Smith & Co. Productions, Former VP Programming FOX Sports Net, Former VP Programming Disney Channel

When I want to captivate and wow an audience, I turn to Jeff. And if you are serious about telling stories that resonate powerfully with your audience, I recommend you do the same.– Jan Landis, 8-time EMMY-winning Television Producer, Dr. Phil/ABC/TV Guide Network

Jeff has an amazing ability to flesh out concepts that previously only lurked hazily in the back of my editorial mind. I've learned more about the craft of editing from reading his insights than I ever learned in four years of film school.– Chuck Gonzales, Producer/Editor, Houston, TX

We help amateur and pro video editors reach the next level of creativity in your editing, no matter your editing tools.

Praise for Edit Better

LOVING your book. It’s so refreshing to read a book about editing and not Avid vs. Final Cut. – Jeremiah Daws, Freelance Editor, Los Angeles, CA

Very, very well written. You hit so many very important considerations an editor would have without going anywhere near arguments about tools. Well done, indeed. –Joe Pena, Independent Producer/Media Specialist, Chicago, IL

I'm only half way through, but I wanted to give it a glowing review thus far. It's a wealth of great information. This book has already given me my monies worth. Thanks, Jeff. –Earl Martin, Writer/Director, Watertown, WI

Got my signed copy of "Edit Better" on display in my office. I've already had one teacher thumb through it and decide she needs to buy her own copy...it's that good! –Ed Zimmerle, Media Producer and Consultant, Fort Dodge, IA

The amount of knowledge Jeff has and the way that he communicates it instantly makes your editing prowess that much better. The information Jeff gives from experience is usually found in conversations with editors in edit bays, not readily available in text.– James Gregg, Freelance Editor/Videographer, Linden, NJ